Editorial: The blotter

The police blotter is always one of the most talked about items in The Darien Times, and in many newspapers.

Often, one of the items that raises confusion is why some are named in the blotter, and why some aren’t.

Every incident that the Darien Police Department provides us with runs in the blotter or, if it is a larger incident, as a separate story.

The Darien Times does not publish names of juvenile offenders or any names in domestic incidents.

If an incident is considered a domestic, by naming the guilty party, by nature of the relationship in a domestic, we are also naming the victim. In order to protect the victim and not discourage a victim of domestic violence from reporting a crime, the names in domestic incidents are withheld.

The blotter is an important, albeit sometimes controversial, part of this newspaper. And we will always make our best effort to protect the victims and not encourage victims to suffer in silence in order to protect their privacy.